The Apprentice
by Shishio287
Summary: Chaos ensues as Michael, Vivi, and Amarant are sent to the late Edo period in Japan. The three find themselves seperated from each other and caught up in a power struggle that will change their lives.
1. Prologue: A New Adventure

Disclaimer: I don't own _Final Fantasy IX_ or _Way of the Samurai 2_. They belong to the people who originally created them. I do, however, own my original characters.

**Important:** This takes place three years after the epilogue of A New Life: Conclusions. If you haven't read my previous stories than things will be spoiled for you in this story. However, if you don't feel like reading those stories than you can read the summaries I typed up for them in my profile.

* * *

Prologue: A New Adventure 

It is the late Edo period, and Amahara, a small town on the island of Japan, is facing great hardship. The Shoganet has had its eye on Amahara for quite some time, but it had no legal reason to place the town under its rule. This, however, seems to be changing.

The town is torn between two opposing sides; The Magistrates and the Aoto Gang. The Magistrates rule over the people of Amahara with an iron fist and even the slightest offense could get you in jail for a long time. The Aoto Gang used to be a virtuous organization, but when the former leader was murdered his right hand man, Hanzaemon Takanuma, took over the gangs operations. Unlike the former leader, Hanzaemon doesn't believe in virtue, and under his rule the gang has become little more than a group of thugs and murderers. These two factions are constantly struggling for power leaving the innocent people to suffer and die.

The Shoganet is very interested in this power struggle and has sent spies into the town. What the spies reported seemed very pleasing to the Shoganet, especially a certain bit of information about a new and highly addictive drug known as soma. The manufacturer of this drug is still unknown to both the Shoganet and the Magistrates. The only ones who know who it is are the higher ups in the Aoto Gang, since the gang is the main distributor of the drug.

All the people can do is watch as their once beautiful and peaceful town is ruined by spies, murderous gang members, overzealous magistrates, and drugs. The town needs a hero. It needs someone who can stand up to the Magistrates and the Aoto Gang. As luck would have it, they won't be getting a hero… they'll be getting three heroes.


	2. The Three Heroes

Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy IX or Rurouni Kenshin. They belong to the people who created them. I do, however, own my original characters.

Chapter 1: The Three Heroes

Michael stepped out of his room dressed in a blue tunic and brown pants with a belt around his waist, and he wore his white cape. He looked around the room and saw that Vivi was already set for the day. "Well, brother, are you ready?" he said.

Vivi turned to Michael and nodded. "Yeah, let's open the store." Michael smiled and the two of them walked down to the main level of the store.

* * *

Once the two of them got to the main floor, Michael saw that everyone was here. He looked around and spotted Linda. "Hey, Linda, you ready to start the day?"

She nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Michael smiled and looked at the other workers. They were a mix of humans, Genomes, and Black Mages. The Mages and Genomes needed a place to work and Michael was all too happy to provide them with such a place.

The Mages and Genomes were part of a new program started by Regent Cid, Vivi, and Michael to try and integrate them into society. It wasn't easy, especially for the mages since the residents of Lindblum still had vivid memories of what the mages did to their town when Queen Brahne attacked Lindblum. Thankfully, as the years moved on, the people began to accept the Mages and Genomes as part of their society, much to Michael and Vivi's delight.

After a few minutes, Michael decided that it was time. He walked over to the door and saw quite a few students waiting outside. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the key, and unlocked the door. He scanned the students and smiled. 'So many minds eager to learn,' he thought. He decided to quit stalling. "Alright, guys, we're open for business," he said. The students quickly filed into the library.

As soon as they got in, Michael closed the door. 'I have a feeling today is going to be a busy day,' he thought.

He was correct; as the day moved on, more and more students came to the library to check out books.

* * *

Michael was in the middle of carrying a large stack of books when he noticed some students looking for aid. "Vivi, can you help those guys over there? I sort of have my hands full at the moment," he said.

"Sure," Vivi said, and walked over to help the people that Michael motioned to.

With that out of the way, Michael quickly moved over to the counter. As soon as he got there he sat the books down, and breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up at the woman who had asked for them. "Alright, here are the books you asked for," Michael said.

The woman smiled and grabbed the books. "Thanks, Mr. Ornitier." She turned from him and began walking towards the exit.

Michael spoke. "Remember, these need to be returned by the end of next week."

She turned her head to look at him. "Yeah, I know. Don't worry." She turned and walked out of the library.  
Michael sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Boy, this has been a hectic day so far." That's when Michael felt someone place their hand on his back. He spun around and smiled. "Hey, Linda, how are you holding up?"

"I'm pulling through, somehow," she said.

Michael chuckled a little at that. "Aren't we all?"

She thought about that for a moment and nodded. "I guess you're right, boss. Is it just me or has this week been busier than usual?

Michael shrugged. "Indeed it has, but what can you expect? After all, tomorrow is the start of the new school year for these guys and they're going to need their books. Things tend to be very busy during these weeks. I should know; you should've seen my campus the week before school started."

Linda picked up one of the books on the table and looked at the cover. "I guess it's not that surprising after all," she said as she read the cover of the book. "'Madain Sari: The Village of the Lost Summoners'. Which class is this for?" she asked.

Michael looked at the book. "Oh, that's for history."

Linda put the book back down. "Interesting… well, I'm going to go on my lunch break now. Can you and Vivi handle things without me?"

Michael smiled. "Don't worry. After all, we have a full staff backing us up. I'm sure we can do without you for a few hours."

She nodded, and picked up her handbag. "Alright, I'll be back in a few hours." She turned, walked over to the doors, and walked outside. Michael sighed, and returned to his work.

He looked over at Vivi and saw that he was helping two people find what they were looking for. He smiled, and glanced over at the other staff members. They were all performing rather well.

Michael's thoughts were interrupted when another customer came up to him. He turned to face the customer. "Hello, how can I help you?" The person listed off the books he needed. Michael decided that it'd be easier to just take the list and look for the books. "Maybe it'd be better if you just give me the list," he said. The student handed Michael the list, which he looked over. "I'll get right to it," he said, turning to retrieve the books.

When he was far away enough, he sighed. 'It's going to be a long day,' he thought.

* * *

Hours passed, and finally, the library was closed. As soon as the workers left, Michael locked the door. He turned around and breathed a sigh of relief.

"Well, that ends another day," he said.

"Yeah, good thing this is the last day before school starts," Vivi said.

Michael couldn't help but laugh at that comment. "Vivi, believe me, things are likely to get even more busy during the first few weeks of the semester."

Vivi was a bit surprised by this. "Oh… I see." He decided to change the subject. "So, should we go to bed?" he asked.

Michael smiled. "Vivi, we haven't even had dinner yet."

Vivi laughed a little. "Oh, right. I forgot."

Michael turned to look at Vivi. "Besides, I think we should spar a little before dinner. We haven't sparred in a while. That is, if you're up for it?"

Vivi nodded. "Alright, I guess we ca-" he was cut off by a knock at the door.

Michael spun around and went to the door. He looked out the window to see who it was and saw a familiar face. The person was tall and had bluish skin and red hair. It was Amarant.

Michael reached into his pocket, pulled out the key, and unlocked the door. He opened the door, and greeted Amarant. "Amarant, what a pleasant surprise. What are you doing here?"

Amarant walked into the room. "Lani and I were in town. I decided to come by and see you two."

Michael smiled. "So Lani is here, too?"

Amarant nodded. "Yeah, but she didn't want to come over. She decided to stay at our room at the inn in the Business District."

Michael seemed satisfied by that answer. "Well, it's good to see you. Vivi and I haven't seen you since last Thanksgiving."

Amarant nodded and looked over at Vivi. "Hey kid, you've gotten taller."

Vivi looked down at himself and looked back at Amarant. "Yeah I have. I'm 5'2" right now. Michael says I might just catch up to him."

Michael smiled. "You may yet." Michael turned to Amarant. "Why don't we head upstairs? It's much more comfortable." Amarant nodded and the three of them went upstairs.

* * *

Once they were upstairs, Amarant spoke. "You guys have a pretty nice place."

"Oh yeah, you've never been to our home." said Michael.

Amarant nodded. "Until now."

Michael smiled. "Well, why don't we show you around?"

Amarant shrugged. "Why not?" he said.

Michael and Vivi walked him around the place.

During the tour, Vivi spoke. "So, where have you and Lani been?"

"We've been wandering the world. We already wrote you guys about the places we've been," he said.

Vivi nodded. "I know, but I just thought I'd ask. Do you think that you guys will ever settle down?"

Amarant thought about that for a moment and shrugged. "Maybe, but it won't be anytime soon."

"Oh, okay, but when you guys do decide to settle down where will you stay?" Vivi asked.

Amarant thought about that for a moment. "Maybe we'll settle in Treno."

Vivi nodded. "Oh, okay."

"So what have you and Lani been doing recently?" Michael asked.

He shrugged. "Nothing new, we've mainly been exploring the world, but you guys already know that."

"Yeah, we know." Michael said.

Michael stopped in front of the door to the training room. He looked at the door and a thought suddenly flashed through his mind. He smiled and turned to Amarant.

"Vivi and I were planning on sparring before you arrived. Care to spar with us Amarant? We could make it a battle royal."

Amarant smirked. "Why not?"

Michael was pleased. "Alright, then let's do it." Michael opened the door and entered the room. Amarant and Vivi entered in after him.

Michael walked over to one corner of the room, while Vivi and Amarant walked over to the other corners. Michael unsheathed his reverse blade sword; Vivi readied his Mace of Zeus and Amarant readied his Rune Claw. Once they were ready, Michael gave the signal, and the battle began.

* * *

Vivi started things off by casting a Fira spell at Michael. Michael saw the spell coming at him. 'How predictable,' he thought, as he prepared to cast a Reflect spell. Before he could finish the spell, he saw a huge ball of energy flying at him from the other side. He cursed; Amarant had used his No Mercy technique.

He knew that he couldn't reflect Amarant's attack, so he decided to dodge both attacks instead. He quickly jumped into the air, and managed to avoid both of the attacks. While in the air, Michael cast an Aera spell at Amarant.

Amarant dove to the side, and narrowly avoided Michael's spell. Vivi decided to take this opportunity to cast a blizzard spell at Amarant. Amarant was too close to the spell to dodge it and was hit by Vivi's spell.

During this time, Michael had landed on the ground and was now running at Vivi. Vivi turned and saw Michael running at him. He quickly cast a Thundara spell at Michael.

Michael tried to cast a Reflect spell, but he was too late. Vivi's spell hit him in the chest and sent him flying backwards. He hit the ground and quickly got back up to his feet. He looked down at his chest and saw that his tunic now had a nice big hole in the middle of it. 'Great, I really got to stop wearing my best clothes when I do this sort of thing," he thought.

Shaking off his thoughts, Michael turned and saw that Amarant was running at Vivi. Amarant swung his claw at Vivi, but Vivi brought his staff up and blocked Amarant's claw. Michael smiled and decided to take advantage of this situation by casting a Watera spell at the two of them.

Amarant turned and saw Michael's spell heading towards them. 'uh-oh, better move, fast,' he thought. He quickly kicked Vivi in the gut and sent him flying through the air. Amarant then jumped back and narrowly avoided Michael's Watera spell.

Michael ran at Amarant and swung his sword at his chest. Amarant quickly blocked and parried Michael's blow. He then grabbed Michael, and threw him right on top of Vivi. Amarant decided to end the fight and used his No Mercy technique.

Amarant focused his energy into his hand and let loss a large white orb of energy.

Michael saw energy ball heading right at him. He knew he couldn't avoid it, so he quickly cast a Protect spell. The spell immediately put up a shield to protect both himself and Vivi.

The energy ball hit the shield, but the attack was too strong to hold back. The shield shattered and the spell hit both Michael and Vivi. Fortunately for them, the spell had been weakened by the shield.

Michael quickly got off Vivi, and he decided to use his 'Ryu Tsui Sen' technique. He jumped into the air, and prepared to slam his sword onto Amarant's left shoulder. However, before his attack could even connect, he was hit from behind by a Thunder spell from Vivi.

The spell sent Michael flying, uncontrollably, through the air. After a few seconds, his body connected with the wall. He slid down the wall and landed, in a heap, on the floor. 'Well, that was dumb,' he thought as he slowly got back up.

Once he was back on his feet, he saw that Amarant had closed the gap between Vivi and himself. The two of them were currently exchanging blows. Amarant was on the offensive while Vivi stayed on the defensive.

Michael decided to try and catch them off guard, and charged towards the two combatants. Before he entered the battle, Amarant managed to trip Vivi. Before Vivi could get up, Amarant placed his claw near his throat.

He smiled "I got you, kid."

At that moment, Michael got next to Amarant and placed his sword right by Amarant's throat. "No, I got you," Michael said. Michael looked down at Vivi and saw to his surprise that both his hands were glowing with the embers of a Fire spell. Vivi had one hand aimed at Amarant and his other hand was aimed at Michael.

Vivi smiled. "No, I got both of you."

The three combatants were in a stalemate.

Michael began to chuckle. "What do you say that we call this a draw?" he asked. Amarant and Vivi both nodded. Michael sheathed his reverse blade sword. Amarant and Vivi both did likewise.

* * *

"That wasn't such a bad fight," Michael said.

"I guess not. You seem to have improved your close range combat, Vivi." Amarant said.

Vivi nodded. "Yeah, thanks to Michael."

Amarant turned to Michael. "So when are you going to teach him some of your moves?"

Michael shook his head. "I'm merely helping Vivi develop his melee skills. I'm not going to teach him the Hiten Mitsurugi Style."

"So who are you going to teach?" Amarant asked.

"I don't know. Vivi was a bit too old when we met. Usually, for best results, the student should start training at a young age, usually between five to six years old. Any older and it becomes iffy. If I were to choose an apprentice the person would have to be at least five or six years old and, above all, the person must have a good heart. I'm sure you can imagine what would happen if a student of the Hiten Mitsurugi Style turned evil."

Amarant nodded. "Yeah, I think Angel was a good example of a Hiten Mitsurugi Master gone bad."

Michael face darkened at the mention of Angel. He decided to get back on track. "Yeah, I'm still searching for the perfect apprentice, but it hasn't been easy. I'm sure he or she is out there; I just haven't found him or her, yet. I just wish I'd find that person a little faster."

Amarant nodded. "Well, I better get back to the inn. Lani's probably waiting."

Michael was a bit disappointed. "You're not going to stay for dinner?"

Amarant thought about that for a moment. "Well-" before he could finish his sentence, Michael's ring began to glow.

Michael looked at his ring in shock. "What the, I didn't tell you to-" he was cut of when a blinding flash of light filled the room. When the light diminished Michael, Vivi, and Amarant were gone.


	3. NoName

Disclaimer: I don't own _Final Fantasy IX_, _Rurouni Kenshin_, or _Way of theSamurai 2_. They belong to the people who created them. I do, however, own my original characters.

Chapter 2: No-Name

When the light diminished, Michael felt himself fall through the air. Startled, he looked down and saw that he was about to land on a roof. He was too close to try and land right. He hit the roof, rolled off the edge, and landed on the ground.

He did his best not to cry out in pain, despite the obvious pain he was feeling. 'Damn, that hurt. What happened?' he thought. After the pain subsided, he moved his head to see his surroundings.

He was lying on a dirt path in a town. The structures weren't that big. Heck, there wasn't a single building that he could see that was taller than one story. That's when he noticed something else; someone was standing right next to him.

He turned his head and saw a little girl. She had black hair and green eyes. She looked about five years old. She was wearing a white shirt and skirt as well as a blue apron. She had a small, red bow in her hair and a red and brown water skin slung around her shoulder with a bell attached to it. She was also carrying some kind of package.

Michael propped his head up with his elbow and looked at the girl. "Hi there," he said.

The little girl knelt down and placed the package in front of Michael. She opened it and revealed three rice balls. She pointed at Michael.

Michael looked at the girl. "You're giving this to me?" he asked. She nodded. Michael shook his head. "I don't want to take your lunch." She shook her head and pointed at him again. Michael sighed. "Well, alright, if you insist."

He slowly got up and sat on the ground, then grabbed one of the rice balls and bit into it. It was very delicious. It was then that he remembered that he hadn't eaten dinner and realized just how hungry he was. He quickly ate the rest of the rice ball.

He looked at the girl. "This rice ball is great," he said. The girl looked pleased. Michael picked up another rice ball, but before he bit into it, he looked at the girl. "What's your name, little girl?" She shook her head. Michael smiled, amusedly. "You're not going to tell me?"

Instead of responding she got up and left. Before she got too far, she turned around and waved good bye to Michael. After that, she turned again to leave.

Michael was a bit amused. 'What a strange child,' he thought.

He looked around at the area around him. He seemed to be in front of some kind of gate that leads into the town he was in. He also noticed people walking around the dirt roads. Michael noticed that this part of the town housed numerous shops. He also noticed that while he knew it was evening back in Lindblum, it looked to be about midday in this place.After looking around a little, he decided to eat the rest of the rice balls. Before he could take a bite out of his rice ball, however, he heard a voice.

"Watch where you're going you little brat!" the voice shouted.

Michael turned his head towards the voice and saw three men standing in front of the little girl. One odd thing Michael noticed about the three men was that they were identical. They wore the same clothes and even looked the same. Their dress style was a bit odd with red and orange pants, dirty green vests and arm bracers, orange and red hats, and white foundation on their faces with three red streaks under each eye. They were the oddest people Michael had ever seen.

The little girl was on the ground and cowering away from the three men. They moved closer to her. Michael assumed that the one standing in front of the group was the leader. The other two stood to either side of him.

"Hmph, you got a l-lot of n-nerve walking i-into people w-without apologizing," said one of the thugs.

'This looks like trouble. I better go help her,' Michael thought. As soon as he stood up he noticed the thug nearest to the girl jump up and down holding his leg.

"Ah, my leg," said the lead thug.

"U-uh oh, h-his leg is b-broken." said the thug on the left.

"You better apologize now you little runt." said the thug on the right. The girl just lied there on the ground cowering. "What's wrong with you? Heh, you can't even apologize."

At this point, Michael made it to the thugs. "Hey, leave the kid alone."

The thugs looked at him. "Huh, who the hell are you? You mean to tell me you know this girl?" said the lead thug.

Michael looked down at the girl. "I do, I owe her a debt of gratitude."

The thug on the left spoke. "H-hey I wouldn't get i-involved in this i-if I was you. We-we're part of the A-Aoto Gang. N-no one messes with the A-Aoto Gang."

The thug in front spoke. "Look, I don't care about honor or what debt you owe her. She broke my leg and she's going to pay."

Michael smiled. "She broke your leg, huh? You seem to be standing on it just fine," he said, pointing at his leg. The thug looked down and realized that he was standing on the leg that he said was broken.

He looked back up at Michael. Anger was very evident on his face. "Why you, that's it you're going down! Santa, Nihei, let's get him!"

Santa, the one on the right, nodded. "You got it Ichikichi," he said, unsheathing his katana.

Nihei, the one on the left, nodded as well. "Y-yeah, let's get him,"he said, pulling out a large stone hammer. The head of the hammer was huge and round and had some sort of symbols around the edge.

Ichikichi, the one in front, unsheathed his scimitar. "Looks like you'll be apologizing for her."

Many of the people walking around the street started running away as soon as they saw what was going to happen, none of them were willing to get caught in the crossfire. They hid in stores and ducked into alleys.

Michael narrowed his eyes. "You better hide, little girl." The girl quickly ran off. Once she was out of the way, Michael unsheathed his reverse blade sword. "I didn't come here looking for trouble, but it seems I don't have much of a choice at this point."

Ichikichi spoke. "Alright, enough blabbering. Let's go!"

* * *

Ichikichi swung his sword at Michael. Michael quickly dodged the attack and struck the thug in the side with his sword. Ichikichi grabbed his side and while he was in this position, Michael kneed him in the face. Ichikichi fell flat on his back due to the force of the blow.

Santa charged at Michael and swung his sword at Michael's leg. Michael jumped over the blow, but he noticed that Nihei was coming at him from the side. Michael jumped into the air again, and kicked both Santa and Nihei when they got close enough.  
Nihei recovered from the blow and swung his hammer at Michael. Michael managed to duck just in time, as the hammer would've taken his head off if it had connected. 'That was close. Let's see how he likes this,' he thought.

While crouched, he swung his sword at Nihei's leg. Michael's sword connected with Nihei's leg, and he grabbed his leg and started jumping around. Michael was going to perform a sweep kick, but he sensed that Santa was trying to strike him from behind. He quickly stepped to the side and avoided Santa's attack.

Before Santa could move, Michael grabbed him by the arm. He then placed one of his hands behind Santa's neck and threw him at Nihei. Nihei was still holding his leg and couldn't dodge Santa. Santa collided with him and the two of them fell to the ground in a heap.

Michael turned to see that Ichikichi had gotten back up. He ran at Michael and swung his sword at his chest. Michael blocked the blow and punched Ichikichi in the gut. He grabbed his gut and backed away from Michael. While he was doing that, Michael noticed that Santa and Nihei were getting back up. He smiled, grabbed Ichikichi's arms, placed his foot on Ichikichi's gut, bent over backwards, and threw Ichikichi right at Nihei and Santa. The two of them couldn't move out of the way fast enough, and all three of them ended up back on the ground.

Michael got up off the ground and smiled. "Had enough? I can keep going if you like."

The three thugs slowly got back up. "Damn, this samurai is tough! Let's get out of here!" Ichikichi yelled turning and running away.

Santa nodded. "Yeah, later!" he said, turning and running after his boss.

"H-hey, wait for me!" Nihei yelled, running to catch up with the two thugs.

* * *

Michael sheathed his sword. He looked around to see where the littlegirl was. "You can come out now. It's safe." The little girl poked her head out from behind a post. Other people started coming out of hiding as well since the fighting was over.

Michael walked over to the girl. "Are you alright?" he asked. She nodded, turned away from him, and ran off. Like last time, she turned around and waved good bye.

"There you are. Everyone's been looking for you. We've been so worried," said an unknown voice.

Michael saw that the voice belonged to a woman who was walking up to the little girl. "Are you alright?" She asked. The girl nodded, and pointed at Michael. The woman looked at him. "What's this samurai doing here?" she asked.

'Why do they keep calling me a samurai?' Michael thought. That's when he noticed what the woman was wearing. She was wearing a peach kimono with flower designs on it. She also wore a yellow head ornament, glasses, and a purple sash around her waist. Her hair was black and she had brown eyes. 'A kimono? Am I in… Japan?' he wondered.

That's when the little girl nearly collapsed. The woman quickly caught her. "Careful… Have you been giving your lunch away to stray cats again?" She shook her head and pointed at Michael. "You mean it wasn't a stray cat, but a stray samurai instead?" The girl nodded. The woman frowned. "You must be more careful. Strays can be very hard to get rid of once you've fed them." She said.

Michael walked over to them. As soon as he got close enough, the girl walked over to him. "Wait, you're not thinking of taking this samurai home, are you? I thought you didn't like people who go around brandishing swords?" asked the  
woman. The girl continued to stay at Michael's side.

The woman walked over to Michael. "Hmm… she seems to like you a great deal. I don't know how you two met, but if she's opened her heart to you then you must be a good person."

Michael nodded. "Yes, I am. I'm Michael Ornitier."

The woman smiled. "I'm Chiyo, I work at Dr. Genan's clinic at the edge of town. As for the girl, she works at the Amakaze Inn. I think she wants to take you there. As for her name, she doesn't have one, or rather; I don't know what it is. We just call her No-Name from Amakaze."

Michael found that odd, but he decided that he had other pressing questions. "Can you tell me where I am, Chiyo?"

Chiyo seemed surprised at the question. "You're in Amahara, at Otemon Gate to be more precise. You must be a foreigner; you're certainly dressed like one."

Michael looked down at his clothes and smiled. "You can say that."

Chiyo smiled. "You must be here for the festival."

Michael was puzzled, this was the first time he'd heard about this. "Festival?" he asked.

Chiyo nodded. "Yes, it's held every year near the end of August. This year's festival is supposed to be great. People from all over Japan and other countries come over to participate. Though, these days it's not exactly safe to go walking around Amahara."

Michael found this to be a bit intriguing. "Why's that?"

Chiyo shook her head. "I'm sorry. I have to get back to Dr. Genan. Just take my advice and don't wander the streets alone at night, and keep an eye on your money." She turned and left.

No-Name moved away from Michael and waved good bye to him yet again. This time, she did run off.

Michael smiled. 'Well, at least I know where to find her… No-Name from Amakaze… you know, she never did say anything to me. Maybe she's shy.' He shook the thought aside. 'Anyway, I guess I better go to Amakaze. Who knows, maybe Vivi and Amarant are there. Well, wherever they are, I hope they're okay.' he thought as he began walking down the streets of Amahara.

* * *

That ends this chapter. If you're curious as to how yousay Aoto you pronounce it as (ow-toe).


	4. The Magistrate's Right Hand Man

Disclaimer: I don't own _Final Fantasy IX_, _Rurouni Kenshin_, or _Way of the Samurai 2_. They belong to the people who created them. I do, however, own my original characters.

* * *

Chapter 3: The Magistrate's Right Hand Man

When the light diminished, Vivi found himself lying on the ground. He slowly got up to his feet. 'Oh, what happened?' He thought. That's when he remembered what happened. 'Oh yeah, Michael's ring… but why did it send us to… wherever this is?' He thought, as he looked around.

The place didn't seem familiar to him at all. He definitely knew that he wasn't in Lindblum anymore. Heck, he had a feeling he wasn't even on Gaia anymore. Nothing around him looked like anything he had seen on Gaia, and he had been all over the planet.

That's when he realized something. 'Where are Michael and Amarant?' He thought, as he looked around for his friends. Unfortunately, they were nowhere to be found. 'I guess I'm on my own for now.' He thought.

He decided to check and see if he had everything. From what he could see, he still had all his things. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his blue bracelet, and put it on. He could feel the magic course over his body before diminishing. 'There, hopefully my magical disguise will keep people from getting scared at my actual appearance.' He thought.

Vivi knew the power of his blue bracelet. It was given to him by Kuja who also made identical bracelets for the others. The bracelet contained magic within it that could make it possible for the wearer to understand different languages as well as speak in that language. Vivi's, though, had an extra power.

His bracelet not only gave him the ability to interpret and speak foreign languages, it also gave him a human appearance of a brown haired, brown eyed boy when he wore it. Only those who know what Vivi really is can see through the spell and see his true form.

After that was settled, he tried to find out where he was. That's when he spotted a compound very close to him. He decided to go there and ask someone where he was.

While he was walking closer to the compound he began to think. 'Where could Michael and Amarant be? Well, I hope I can find them soon.' He thought. He was so engrossed with his thoughts that he failed to notice the man walking right out of the compound and was currently walking right in front of him. The man was also occupied with something else and failed to notice Vivi, and it wasn't long before the two of them ran into each other.

Vivi almost fell over from the impact, but was able to quickly regain his balance. The other man was in a similar situation, but he also managed to keep his balance as well.

The man looked embarrassed. "Oh, I'm sorry. I wasn't paying attention. My apologies." said the man.

Vivi adjusted his hat and looked at the man. He had brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a blue shirt and blue baggy pants. He was also wearing a purple bandana on his head and carried a large, square basket on his back.

Vivi rubbed the back of his head. "It's okay; I wasn't really paying attention either. Um… can you tell me where I am?"

The man seemed surprised. "You're at the magistrate's office, in Amahara." Realization crossed the man's face. "Oh right, where are my manners? My name is Kusabaro. I'm a medicine peddler. If I may ask, just what are you doing here?"

Vivi was a bit surprised. "Why do you ask?"

The man smiled. "I don't mean to pry, but what's a gentle looking soul like you doing in an awful place like this?" he asked

"Well, I-" before Vivi could finish, another voice spoke.

"Curiosity killed the cat, peddler."

Vivi and Kusabaro turned to see a man walk out of the entrance to the magistrate's office. The man had black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a black shirt and black baggy pants. He also wore a black hat. Vivi had been around enough nobles and royalty to know that the way this man held himself meant that he was a man of great authority.

The man turned to Kusabaro. "You were loitering around here yesterday as well. No one here needs medicine. You must be a spy!"

Kusabaro was obviously shaken. "N-no, I'm just a simple medicine peddler."

The man frowned. "Don't waste your breath." The man unsheathed his sword. "I'll take you down quickly."

Kusabaro screamed, and tripped over his own feet. He quickly began crawling away. "P-please someone help me."

Vivi spoke. "Hey, wait a minute, he didn't do anything wrong."

The man turned his gaze to Vivi. "So you two are together. Fine, I'll take care of you both." He said, charging at Vivi.

* * *

Vivi was about to unleash a fire spell when he remembered something Michael told him a year ago. _"Remember, Vivi, if we go to another world don't use your magic unless you see your opponent use magic. Of course, you can use your magic if it's a real emergency. Just try to avoid it. You don't want to have to answer awkward questions."_ Vivi sighed, and decided to just fight this guy with his 'Mace of Zeus'. 'Well, how hard can he be?' He thought.

The man swung his sword towards Vivi's chest. Vivi quickly blocked his sword with his staff. The man pulled back and thrust his sword at Vivi's gut. Vivi backed away from it, but the man followed up by swinging his sword upwards; giving Vivi a shallow cut across his chest.

Vivi looked down at the cut. 'Yikes, that was close. Okay, so he's better than I thought. I'll just have to be more careful.' He thought.

The man charged forward and swung his sword at Vivi's legs. Vivi jumped into the air, but the man quickly executed a roundhouse kick catching Vivi in the side. Vivi hit the ground and quickly tried to get back up.

Before he could get up, the man kicked him back down to the ground, raised his sword, and plunged it down towards Vivi. Vivi saw this, and quickly rolled out of the way. He managed to dodge most of the blade, but the blade still managed to graze his back.

Vivi quickly got into a crouching position and performed a sweep kick. The man jumped over the kick, and thrust his sword down at Vivi. Vivi quickly rolled backwards, and got back up onto his feet.

Vivi sighed. 'Man, I haven't even touched this guy yet. He's good.' he thought.

Vivi decided to try going on the offensive. He ran at the man and swung his staff at his left side. The man blocked Vivi's attack, and kicked Vivi in the gut.

Vivi grunted in pain, grabbed his gut, and backed away. That's when he saw the man's foot coming up to greet his face. Vivi quickly pulled his head back and avoided the man's kick. However, the man seemed to have anticipated that Vivi would do that because he was already swinging his sword at Vivi's head.

Vivi saw this and quickly brought his staff up to block it. Thankfully, he managed to block the blow just in time. However, the man wasn't finished as he applied more strength to his attack hoping to overcome Vivi's defense. Vivi applied more strength to his weapon, but he knew that the man would break through eventually.

He decided that it'd be a good idea to try and get the man to back off. He kicked out at the man and managed to hit him in the gut. The man grunted in pain, and that was all Vivi needed. He pushed the man's sword away from him and smashed his shoulder against him. The man fell back a few feet, but quickly got back up.

The man let out a frustrated growl and thrust his sword at Vivi's head. Vivi ducked the blow and swung his staff at the man's legs. The man jumped away from Vivi's attack and quickly jumped at Vivi performing a jumping vertical slash. Vivi saw this and quickly rolled out of the way.

Vivi managed to avoid the blade, but the man had now swung his sword at where Vivi was. Vivi saw this, and quickly blocked the attack with his staff. The man pulled back and thrust his sword at Vivi's chest. Vivi blocked and parried the blow. He then thrust his staff into the man's throat. The man grabbed his throat and took a few steps back.

Vivi decided not to let his advantage slip and quickly swung his staff into the man's stomach. The man doubled over and Vivi hit him in the face with his staff. The man cried out in pain, grabbed his face, and backed away from Vivi.

* * *

He quickly recovered and looked at Vivi. "Hmm… you're quite good, but I'm on to your tricks now. I've got to take you down, for the good of Amahara." He raised his sword and prepared to attack Vivi again. Vivi raised his staff and prepared to defend himself.

"Just a minute!" yelled an unknown voice.

Vivi and the man turned to the entrance to the magistrate's office. It was another man. He had brown hair and brown eyes. His forehead and the top of his head were bald. He was wearing orange pants and a black coat. Like the man that attacked Vivi, he seemed to have an aura of authority around him as well.

The man who attacked Vivi was surprised by this other man's apperance. "Nakamura, I was just-" Nakamura cut him off.

"I applaud your enthusiasm Goshiro Muto, but let's not overdo things."

"With all due respect, sir, I was just taking care of the Shogunate spy." He said, looking at Vivi.

Nakamura looked at Vivi. "Spy? Where do you see a spy Goshiro? Surely, you don't mean our friend here? He seems much too young to be a spy. Besides, do you really think a spy would fight a magistrate in broad daylight?"

Muto looked annoyed. "But…" he paused.

Nakamura sighed and shook his head. "I understand your sense of duty, Goshiro, but that doesn't give you the right to attack anyone."

Muto bowed his head. "I'm sorry."

Muto sheathed his sword. "Very well, I'll release him under your authority." He looked at Vivi. "But you better stay out of trouble, kid. I've got my eye on you." With that said, Muto turned and went back into the Magistrate's Office.

Once Muto was gone, Nakamura walked over to Vivi. "You'll have to forgive Goshiro. He's a good officer, but he idolizes the magistrate's office and that makes him inflexible."

Vivi smiled. "Don't worry, he reminds me of a friend of mine."

Nakamura looked pleased. "Ah, so you know how people like him can be. Still, you must be pretty strong to stand up to him. Goshiro is no pushover."

Vivi nodded. "Yeah, I sort of found that out the hard way." He said, looking at his cut.

Nakamura looked down at the cut as well. "Don't worry I have something for that. Oh, yes, where are my manners? My name is Sosuke Nakamura. I'm a magistrate like Goshiro."

"I'm Vivi Ornitier."

Nakamura smiled. "Well, nice to meet you, Vivi. You know, we could use strong fighters like you on our side. If you like, I could give you a job."

Vivi shook his head. "No thanks."

Nakamura looked displeased. "No, oh how cold."

Vivi felt a little guilty. "Well, it's not that I'm not interested it's just that I'm looking for my brother and a friend of mine."

"Are they in Amahara?" asked Nakamura.

Vivi nodded. "I think so, but I don't know where they are."

Nakamura considered this. "I see. Well, judging by your look You seem to be a foreigner so I take it that you don't know your way around the city." Vivi nodded. Nakamura smiled. "I thought so. Very well, I'll get you a map. Oh, if I may ask, who are these two people you're looking for?"

"My blood brother, Michael Ornitier, and my friend, Amarant Coral."

"Can you describe them?" Nakamura asked.

Vivi knew full well that he could. "Michael's 5'9" and has brown hair, brown eyes, wears a white cape, and carries two swords. One's a reverse blade sword; the other is a regular sword. Also, the regular sword is black in color.

Nakamura nodded. "And the other?"

"Amarant is about 6'2" and has red hair that hides his eyes. He also carries a claw on his right hand. Oh, and he has blue skin."

Nakamura looked surprised. "Blue skin?"

Vivi nodded. "Yep, and don't ask me how he has blue skin cause I don't know."

"I see, well I'll be sure to tell the magistrates to be on the look out for those two."

Vivi smiled. "Really, that's great, thanks."

Nakamura smiled. "Don't mention it. Now I better go get you that map, some disinfectant, and some bandages." Nakamura turned and walked into the magistrate's office.

Once he was gone, Vivi breathed a sigh of relief. "Well that was close, right Kusabaro?" he asked turning to look at Kusabaro. Strangely, he was no where to be found. Vivi was surprised. 'I wonder where he went?' he thought. Vivi sighed, and looked up at the sky. 'Oh well, I have other things to worry about… Michael, Amarant, I hope you guys are okay.' He thought.

* * *

Okay, I'm going to be going on a two week vaction two days from now, so I won't be updating this story until I get back. Just be patient and don't forget to review. 


	5. Don't Mess with Amarant

Disclaimer: I don't own _Final Fantasy IX_, _Rurouni Kenshin_, or _Way of the Samurai 2_. They belong to the people who created them. I do, however, own my original characters.

* * *

Chapter 4: Don't Mess with Amarant

When the light diminished, Amarant found himself lying on the ground. He slowly got up to his feet and looked around. 'What happened…? Where am I?' he thought. The place he was in looked nothing like any of the towns he had seen on Gaia.

The buildings were small, and barely had any space between them. He also noticed a few shops and an alley that lead to more buildings.

That's when he remembered what happened. 'Oh yeah, Michael's ring. I guess it sent us to another world, but what world? Well, I guess I better ask someone where I am.' he thought.

He looked around and spotted quite a few people walking around. He stopped a man as he passed by him. "Hey you, can you tell me where I am?"

The man seemed shocked to see Amarant. "Um… Y-you're in Numata i-in Amahara. P-please, don't hurt me, I have no money." The man was visibly afraid of Amarant.

Amarant was surprised. He knew that he was intimidating, but not that intimidating. "I'm not going to hurt you. You can go now, and thanks for the info." The man seemed relieved and quickly left. 'Hmm, I've never heard of Amahara. I guess Michael's ring did send us to another world. Just my luck.' he thought, as he shook his head in irritation.

He sighed and looked around. That's when he noticed that Michael and Vivi were nowhere to be seen. 'Great, where did they go? Well, looks like I'm going to have to find them… great.' He thought.

As soon as he turned to leave, someone ran into him. The man that ran into Amarant fell to the ground, while Amarant was able to keep his footing. Two more men came running up to the man on the ground.

"Ichikichi, you alright?"

The man, Ichikichi, got back up to his feet. "Yeah, I'm fine, Santa. This idiot here ran into me!" He said, indicating Amarant.

The other one spoke. "H-hey, maybe we should teach h-him a lesson."

Ichikichi nodded. "Sounds like a good idea to me, Nihei."

Amarant spoke. "Picking a fight with someone you don't even know, how stupid."

"What did you say!" Santa yelled.

"Do you even know who we are?" Ichikichi said.

"Yeah, w-we're the A-Aoto three, part of the A-Aoto Gang!" Nihei said.

"I've never heard of you, and even if I did, I really don't care." Amarant said.

The Aoto three were furious. "That's it; I think it's time we taught you some manners!" Ichikichi yelled, drawing his scimitar. The other two drew their weapons as well.

Amarant retracted the claws on his weapon. 'I won't need my claw to take these guys down.' He thought. He assumed a fighting stance and prepared himself for battle.

* * *

Ichikichi charged at Amarant and swung his sword at his chest. Amarant dodged this and punched Ichikichi in the face. Ichikichi grabbed his face and started dancing around.

Seeing his friend's folly, Santa ran at Amarant and thrust his sword at his head. Amarant stepped to the side, grabbed Santa's Arm, pulled him closer to himself, and backhanded him across the face. Santa fell to the ground and grabbed his face.

Amarant turned and saw that Nihei was about to attack him with his stone hammer. Amarant moved out of the way and barely managed to dodge his attack. After that, he ran at Nihei, and slammed his knee into his gut. Nihei doubled over and Amarant slammed his elbow into the back of his head. Nihei crashed into the ground.

Amarant turned and saw that Ichikichi had recovered from his attack and was coming towards him. Ichikichi swung his sword at Amarant's chest. Amarant grabbed Ichikichi's arm and twisted it. Ichikichi cried out in pain and let go of his sword. Amarant then pulled him closer towards himself, and clotheslined him. Ichikich fell to the ground and grabbed his neck.

Amarant turned, and saw that Santa was back up on his feet. He ran at Amarant and swung his sword at his legs. Amarant jumped over the sword and kicked Santa in the face while he was still in the air. Santa grabbed his face, but Amarant wasn't going to let up. He grabbed one of Santa's arms and threw him over his shoulder. He was about to stomp on Santa's face when he saw that Ichikichi and Nihei were back up on their feet. He also saw that Ichikichi had retrieved his sword.

Ichikichi ran at Amarant and swung his sword towards his head. Amarant jumped back and was about to counter attack Ichikichi, but he noticed that Nihei was swinging his hammer at his side. He quickly jumped back and avoided his attack. That's when he saw Santa get back up and quickly move to join his friends.

"This guy's kicking our butts." Santa said.

"Yeah, I-I thought the guy w-we fought last time w-was t-tough T-this guy's j-just as t-tough." Nihei said.

Ichikichi was furious. "Who cares, let's get him, together!" He shouted.

Amarant sighed. 'Alright this has gone on long enough. It's time to end this.' He thought, as all three of them came at Amarant.

As they neared Amarant, they all raised their weapons to attack him. Before they could strike, Amarant jumped into the air and landed behind them. As soon as he was behind them, he spun around and performed a round house kick. His kick hit Nihei, who collided with Ichikichi, who collided with Santa. All three of them were sprawled out on the ground.

Amarant flexed the muscles in his arms and the claws on his weapon shot up again. "Had enough yet, or do you wish to continue?" Amarant said, pointing his claws at them. All three of them were terrified.

"Oh no, help!" Santa yelled.

"D-don't kill me! S-spare my life, p-please!" Nihei begged.

"Look, we're big men in these parts. If you spare us, we can help you out, I mean it! What do you say, huh!" Ichikichi said.

Amarant thought about this for a moment. 'Well, I have no idea where to go in this town. These three likely know the town very well. I guess it couldn't hurt. Besides, it's not like they're a threat to me anyway.' He thought. He retracted his claws. "Very well, I'll spare you."

The three of them breathed a sigh of relief. They stood up and sheathed their weapons.

"Oh, thank you. Y-you saved me." Nihei said.

"I knew you were a generous person." Santa said.

"What's your name?" Ichikichi asked.

"Call me what you will… but some call me the Flaming Amarant." He said.

Ichikichi nodded. "Well Amarant, if you ever need something, just stop by the Aoto Gang Headquarters. I'm sure our boss, Hanzaemon, will give you a job."

"Where's the Aoto Gang Headquarters?" Amarant asked.

Ichikichi pointed to the northwest. "It's off to the northwest from here. We'll go on ahead, and tell Hanzaemon that you're coming. I know he can use someone as strong as you on his side." Ichikichi turned and left. The other two quickly joined him.

Amarant thought about this. 'Well, maybe this Hanzaemon guy can help me find Michael and Vivi. As long as I keep my wits about me I should be fine.' He thought. He began his walk towards the Aoto Gang Headquarters.

* * *

Hey everyone. Sorry for the long wait. I got back from my vacation, and what a vacation it was. Anyway, I'm back, and I hope to get the next few chapters up soon.


	6. Amakaze

I AM BACK!!! After months of being tied up, I've finally managed to find some time to post the next chapter. I apologize for the long wait, and I hope to update more frequently as soon as college gets out (which is just three and a half weeks away). So, sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own _Final Fantasy IX_, _Rurouni Kenshin_, or _Way of the Samurai 2_. They belong to the people who created them. I do, however, own my original characters.

Chapter 5: Amakaze

After walking around the town for hours, Michael finally arrived at Amakaze. 'Finally, I thought I'd never find this place.' He thought. During his trip to Amakaze, he lost sight of No Name and ended up wandering around the town, lost.

While he was wandering around, he had noticed a dead body in the middle of the road. What surprised him about this wasn't the fact that the body was there, though that was odd in and of itself, it was that the people just kept walking right by the body paying it no mind. Giving in to his curiosity, Michael stopped a passer-by to ask him about this.

"Excuse me sir, but why are these people ignoring that body?" he said, motioning to the body.

The man looked at the body, and lightly chuckled. "Hehe, you must not be from around here. You see, these days finding a body in the street is such a common occurrence that people aren't bothered by it anymore. Heck, even the children play by the bodies every now and then. It's all fun and games to them."

Michael was surprised by this and turned his eyes back to the body. A dog was now sniffing around the corpse and eventually, took a bit out of the corpse's ear. Disgusted at the site, Michael turned back to the man. "That's just..." He couldn't finish his sentence; the words to describe such an atrocity just didn't seem to come to his mind.

Noting the look of disgust, the man smiled sadly. "I agree, but there isn't much that can be done about it. Take my advice, though, stay off the streets at night unless you want to end up like him." He said, motioning to the body of which the dog was now starting on the corpse's nose.

Michael nodded. "I'll remember that." It was then that he realized he was still lost. "Hey, do you know where I can find Amakaze?"

The man smiled. "You're actually very close." He pointed over the roof tops. "You see that large red building?"

Michael turned to look where the man was pointing and noticed a tall red building in the distance. "Yeah, I see it."

"That's Amakaze."

Michael smiled and turned back to the man. "Ah, thanks. I've been wandering around for quite a while looking for it."

"You're welcome. I hope that you take my advice and enjoy your stay here."

Michael nodded. "I'll keep your advice in mind. Thanks, again." He said, and walked off in the direction of Amakaze.

That was just a few minutes ago. Now he had reached his destination. The place was very busy. People were moving around everywhere, talking in the streets, entering shops, exiting shops, selling wears, getting a drink; it was indeed a busy place. They had a store for almost everything from jewelry to groceries to masks. There were a few people though that, like himself, were foreigners. There were women dressed in big Victorian-style dresses carrying small umbrellas, or were they parasols, Michael could never tell, and men dressed in weird, yellow and black, French garb.

Turning his eyes away from the scene around him he looked straight ahead at the tall red building the man had pointed out to him earlier. Sure enough he spotted No Name right in front of the building. She was standing in front of a man and was drawing in the dirt. Michael decided to go see the two of them.

As soon as he got closer, No Name looked up from her drawing and noticed him. Dropping the stick she was using to draw in the dirt, she immediately ran over to Michael. The man who No Name was with turned to see who she was running to and saw Michael. He got up and approached Michael as well.

Now, Michael had a better look at the man. He wore a red and dark blue men's kimono with the top hanging from his waist and black pants. He also wore a red bandana that covered the top of his head. His hair was shoulder length, and stuck out from under the bandana. He also had a tattoo of some kind on his right shoulder. Michael also noticed that the man had two swords strapped to his left side.

After looking at Michael for a few seconds, realization crossed the man's face. "Ah, you're the one she was talking about. You gave her your rice balls after she collapsed from hunger, and then she fought off some thugs that were harassing you."

Michael was a bit taken aback by this and looked at No Name, who smiled innocently up at him. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Hehehe, I'm afraid you've got it backwards."

The man laughed. "Hahaha,Yeah, I thought that was a bit strange. Your version certainly makes more sense." He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, but he still had a dopy smile on his face. "You have to forgive me. There's only so much I can tell from this drawing."

"Yeah, I'd think so, but why didn't she just tell you what happened."

"I'm sure she would if she could. It's just that... well, she can't speak."

Michael was a bit surprised by this, but after thinking about it for a second he realized that it made sense. It explained why No Name didn't say anything to him after she helped him and after he helped her.

Michael spoke. "I see, so that's why you didn't say anything to me when we met." He said, looking at No name. She simply smiled and nodded.

Turning to look at No Name the man couldn't help but smile sadly. "Her drawings are the only way she can communicate with us. It's not too effective, but it's better than nothing." Turning away from No Name, he looked back at Michael. "Anyway, thank you for saving her." He said.

The man looked like he was thinking about what to say next when a surprised look crossed his face. "Oh right, sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Danpachi. I work here at Amakaze." He said, extending his hand.

Michael smiled, and accepted his hand in a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Danpachi; I'm Michael Ornitier."

"Nice to meet you, Michael." After breaking off their physical contact Danpachi decided to probe Michael. "So, what brings you to Amahara? You don't seem to have anything in particular to do."

"I'm looking for my blood brother and my friend. I believe they're in the city somewhere."

"Ah, so that's why you're here. What do these friends of yours look like?"

"Well, Vivi, my blood brother, is about 5' 3" tall and wears a steepled hat and blue and white robes with green-stripped pants. He also carries a gold staff. As for Amarant, he's about 6' 2" tall and has red hair. Oh, and he also has blue skin."

Ann odd look crossed Danpachi's face. "Wait, did you just say blue skin?"

Michael couldn't stop himself from looking amuzed at the look on Danpachi's face. "Don't ask."

Danpachi wisely decided to leave it at that. "I won't. I haven't seen these people around town, but I'll keep a lookout for them."

"Thanks, I appreciate it."

"No problem, I only wish I could do a little more."

No Name's eyes suddenly let out and she let out a excited yelp as she pointed her finger at me, and then pointed at Amakaze.

Danpachi watched this with interest. "What's that… you want to have Michael stay here?" No name smiled and nodded. Danpachi looked uncertain. "Now just a minute; this isn't a stray dog or cat we're talking about."

"Danpachi, has she come back yet?" Said a feminine voice to Michael's left.

Michael turned, and saw a young woman with shoulder length black hair and brown eyes. She wore a red kimono with floral designs and a headdress. She also had white foundation on her face as well as red lipstick. Michael could tell by the way the woman held herself that she was a woman of authority and was not to be taken lightly.

Danpachi turned to the woman. "Yes, she's back, and with a stray samurai, no less."

The woman looked at No Name. "Have you finished your errands?"

No Name shook her head.

An annoyed look crossed the woman's face and she narrowed her eyes. "Then go and get them done! You're supposed to pick up some medicine from Dr. Genan, aren't you?"

No Name nodded.

"Then hurry up and do it! What are you doing just standing there?"

Michael decided to stay silent during this exchange as he had a feeling that jumping into this discussion probably wouldn't do anyone any good and decided to wisely see how things would play out.

It wasn't long before Danpachi interceded on No Name's behalf. "Wait, Maikaze, she's just hungry. She gave her lunch away again."

Maikaze turned her icy gaze on Danpachi. "What are you saying? Running errands is her job and she knows that. We don't have room for useless loafers around here!" she turned back to No Name and seeing that she still hadn't moved sighed in irritation. "Well, get going."

No Name looked down at the ground and ran off to do her errands.

Mikaze turned to Michael. "And don't think that you can stay here for free, either. That's not going to happen." Before Michael could respond, Maikaze turned and walked back into Amakaze.

Danpachi turned to Michael. "Sorry about her. She can be a bit harsh, but she is right. However, you did save the child's life, so I'll prepare a room for you. Though, I'll have to set you to work as a bodyguard. If you don't work, you don't eat. That's the rule around here."

Michael decided that this sounded fair. "That's fine with me, just as long as I can still have time to look for my friends."

"Sure, that can be arranged." He looked around him and then leaned in closer to Michael to whisper in his ear. "Listen, while I'm getting your room ready, why don't you go see how the girl is doing. Maikaze won't admit it, but she can't concentrate when No Name isn't around. Despite Maikaze's hard exterior, she's still a nice woman."

Michael nodded. "Sure, I'll go check on No Name. Where's Dr. Genan's place?"

"His clinic is at the edge of town. That's Northwest of here. I'll get you a map so that you can find your way around." He said, as he walked back into Amakaze to get a map.

While he was gone, Michael looked around at the bustling town knowing, or rather hoping, that Vivi and Amarant were somewhere in the city. 'I hope Vivi and Amarant are okay. Well, at least I know they can take care of themselves, so that's comforting. Besides, I'll find them eventually. Or maybe they'll find me. I guess only time will tell.' He thought, as he turned his eyes up to the sky. It was at that moment that a rave flew up into the sky. 'Black wings… an ill omen.' He thought, as he turned his eyes back to the shops.

After a few minutes, Danpachi walked out of Amakaze with a map in hand and handed it over to Michael. He opened the map and tried to find where he was at the moment. Seeing what Micahel was trying to find, Danpachi pointed out their current location and then he pointed to where Dr. Genan's place was.

Now knowing where he had to go, Michael rolled up the map. "Thanks, Danpachi. I'll be back with the girl."

"I don't doubt that." He said looking down at the two swords strapped to Michael's side. "So, you use two swords as well?"

Michael who had just turned to looked back at Danpachi. "What?"

Danpachi pointed at his swords. "Those swords, do you use two swords?"

"No, I only use one at a time."

Danpachi shook his head in mock annoyance. "Why are you limiting yourself? Never mind, that doesn't matter. Would you like me to show you how to use both of them at once?"

Michael thought about this for a moment. Well it wouldn't hurt to know how to use both of them at once. So I guess there's no harm in trying, but I'd better go see how No Name is doing before I do anything. "Sure, I'd love to learn how to use two swords at once, but I better get No Name first."

"Yeah, you better get going." Danpachi turned to go back into the inn when a last minute thought entered his mind. He quickly spun around and saw that Michael was just about to leave. Before he could get too far Danpachi yelled out "Oh, one more thing, Dr. Genan hates samurai! So don't expect him to greet you warmly!"

Michael looked back over his shoulder. Well that's a nice to know. "I'll be alright! I'll see you later, Danpachi!"

Michael finally departed from Amakaze and made his way to the edge of town.


End file.
